Exclusive: Casey Kenney On Dominick Cruz; “He’s A Legend Of The Sport, But All That Changes When We Get Locked In There”

Ranked UFC Bantamweight, Casey Kenney, sits down with MiddleEasy to discuss his upcoming fight with former champ Dominick Cruz.

Casey Kenny
Kenny

UFC 259 is a once in a year event, a card stacked with talent throughout. Whilst the three title fights at the top of the main card may initially draw eyes, further, inspection reveals some extraordinary 3 round bouts. One such fight is between the up and coming Casey Kenney, who will face off against former 135lb champion Dominick Cruz.

An Interview With Casey Kenney

Casey Kenney sat down with MiddleEasy to discuss the exhilarating matchup between Cruz and himself. With the resume that Cruz has, it would be easy to become intimidated by the former champions skillset. However, Kenney had the following to say:

“Honestly I consider myself one of the best well rounded mixed martial artists. So if I can go out and touch him up on the feet, no problem, put it away early. I can do that for 15 minutes. Personally, I think he’s gonna try to grapple me a little bit, which I’m ready for as well. (I’ve) put in plenty of time on the mat this camp. And shoot, that’s where it all began. I think I have the edge everywhere.”

Cruz has been a staple figure in the UFC for such a long time now, that Kenney could remember watching him back when he was at college. Despite this, there is no chance of Kenney being starstruck by ‘The Dominator.’

“I think I was in college or just on the summer of college break and I was trying to decide whether I wanted to go back or become a fighter. My friends and I used to sit around and watch UFC fights. Of course him (Cruz) and Faber went at it. They were the lighter guys, and they were just bringing in the (1)35 and (1)45 division too. So I been watching Dominick Cruz as far back as 2011. It means a lot to fight him, but at the end of the day he’s just another guy. He’s across the cage from me and in my way.”

“He’s a legend of the sport. But all of that changes when we get locked in there.”

Whilst Kenney is by no means looking past Cruz, there are several other names he is interested in fighting further up the 135lb rankings.

“Obviosly I’m in the top 15 now. The number doesn’t really matter to me. But you beat a former champion, I feel like i’d deserve another former champion. And there’s a handful of them to pick from.”

“I wouldn’t mind getting (Jose) Aldo or (TJ) Dillashaw. Aldo, Dillashaw or Garbrandt. Those are three former champions that I’ve thought of. So (I’ll) take out a couple former champs and we can go from there.”

Kenney will face off against Cruz on March 6th at UFC 259. The two bantamweights will serve as the featured prelims for the night.

Watch the full interview

Who do you see winning? Let us know in the comments.

 
Published on February 25, 2021 at 6:12 pm
Stay up-to-date with the latest MMA news, rumors, and updates by following the RED Monster on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, don't forget to add MiddleEasy to your Google News feed Follow us on Google News for even more coverage.

Related

Leave a Comment